Quote:
Originally Posted by wintergirl
Killie fish are very cool and beautiful but their lifespan is so short. My favorite fish are cichlids, the more peaceful ones  They do great in my hard well water. I had to take my tanks down to make room for a wood burner stove. Hope to someday get an addition to the house and have more plant and fish room. |
Not all killies are annuals. I have about 50 species of killies in the bred book so far, and find most of the non annuals have lifespans comparable to other tropical fish of similar size. I maintain a population of Rivulus cylindraceous for mosquito control in my water gardens, because of their tolerance for low temps which let's me keep them outside until water temps get below about 55F. To go off onto yet another tangent, completely unrelated to this reply, I always find it interesting when I see people express more concern for the rights of animals than they do for the rights of their fellow humans. Getting back onto killies there are many species which would appreciate your hard water. The native genera Fundulus and Cyprinodon contains members that can live and breed in either fresh or full strength saltwater. Also the Eurasian genus Aphanius are good in hard water. All of these are however temperate species which require cooler winter temps for their long term well being.
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